Modding Modifying Cold Cathodes

I've got some 12" blue cold cathodes with the square acrylic ends on them. I'd like to know if I can take the square part completly off one end (the end without wires). These are going on the front of my case, but with the square end, I'll have to do ALOT more dremelling to get it looking pretty

Can I grind this end, or can I snap it completly off (carefully )?

Any help appreciated

 

I wouldn't recommend modding cathodes.. somehting can go wrong and make your case on fire..

 

those square endas usally come off rather ez by just twistingh them like a bottle cap....heck i've had plenty that came loss all on their own

 

i pretty sure you can completely remove them from the casing, and they're still pretty safe.

don't hold me to that though

 

The cathodes are always safe except if they break, then you have broken glass. But nothing beyond that. The inverters catch on fire, not the tubes. I saw a tutorial where some guy took his (probably Velleman brand) CCFTs, the kind that are thicker and just glass, and used a blowtorch or a bunsen burner to shape them. Pretty cool. Probably wouldn't work with most retail ones because of that thin filament that runs back across the tube, these tubes didn't have that. They had leads on both sides.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll pop them in the freezer to harden the glue, then twist the end off. As long as I'm not releasing gases or something (I keep thinking of neon tubes...)

 

I actually wouldn't put them in the big freeze, just because that will make the plastic tube brittle and more likely to break. Just twist with a good pair of pliers and good grip, and it should pop right off.

Oh, and btw: Welcome to bit

 

Zephyr's right just give 'em a genteal twist from side to side and they'll prolly come loss

 

Thanks , I've been lurking so long I didn't realize I hadn't posted anything yet.

Maybe Heat then, like running under the hot water tap? Reason I ask is I've tried just twisting them and it looks like the tube will snap off before the glue gives

Yeesh, just noticed that "What's a Dremel?" tag, LOL

 

i used that stuff that makes superglue fall apart and they just let go, the thin filament down the side (i may be wrong) can just be replaced by a normal sheathed wire and run anywhere else around the case, it doesn't have to just run down the side of it again so removing the chance of grounding it to anything else metal, they only run the thin filament back along the inside of the plastic outter tube is so that both wires exit through the cathodes arse? Its a delicate filament to solder to though.